While Boston University officials call Kenneth Feld a leading alumnus
and Trustee, student activists said the circus owner is better knownfor
his company's alleged history of animal rights violations.

"We often talk about Feld in our meetings," said College of Arts and
Sciences sophomore Rachel Atcheson, a member of the BU Vegetarian
Society. "[Feld Entertainment Inc.�s elephants] are not supposed to be
performance animals. In the facilities they�re running, they want tomake
money."

Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Brothers and Barnum
& Bailey Circus, paid $270,000 in a Nov. 23 settlement with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, involving alleged violations of the Animal
Welfare Act, dating from June 2007 through August 2011, according to a
USDA press release.